BUZZ-US Stocks on the Move-Bluebird Bio, Yahoo, Fusion-io, Dara

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U.S. stocks were slightly higher on Monday. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.10 percent at 16,791.72 and the S&P 500 was up 0.22 percent at 1,940.36.

** BLUEBIRD BIO INC, $36.56, +40.13 pct

The drug developer reported positive data from an early-stage trial of its experimental gene therapy. Bluebird said the first two patients in trial did not require further cell transfusion within two weeks of a transplant with Bluebird’s gene therapy, which aims to treat a blood disorder.

** YAHOO INC, $35.24, -4.60 pct

The U.S. internet company’s shares were trading lower after Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd IPO-ALIB.N said its revenue growth slowed for the year ended March 31. Yahoo has a 22.5 percent stake in Alibaba.

U.S. medical device maker Medtronic said it agreed to buy Dublin-based Covidien for $42.9 billion and shift its executive headquarters to Ireland in the latest move by U.S. firms to harvest lower corporate tax rates abroad. While the cash and stock deal will allow Medtronic to reduce its overall global tax burden, the Minneapolis-based company said on Sunday its corporate tax rate, at 18 percent, won’t change much.

** FUSION-IO INC, $11.4, +22.84 pct

** SANDISK CORP, $100.63, +2.19 pct

SanDisk is buying Fusion-io for about $1.1 billion to bulk up its flash storage business and reduce its exposure to the volatile memory chip market. SanDisk’s offer of $11.25 per share represents a premium of 21 percent to Fusion-io’s Friday close.

** TW TELECOM INC, $38.9, +7.04 pct

** LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS INC, $41.89, -4.99 pct

Telecommunications services company Level 3 Communications said it would buy internet services provider tw telecom for $40.86 per share in a cash and stock deal to expand its commercial fiber network in the United States. The deal, valued at about $5.64 billion based on outstanding shares as of April 30, is at a premium of 12 percent to tw telecom’s Friday closing price of $36.34.

** WILLIAMS COS INC, $57.86, +22.64 pct

** ACCESS MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP, $64.54, -1.25 pct

Pipeline operator Williams Cos said on Sunday it agreed to acquire control of Access Midstream Partners for $5.99 billion, aiming to enlarge its role in the U.S. natural gas boom.

Raymond James raised the target price on Williams’s stock to $61 from $47.

** DARA BIOSCIENCES, $1.48, +32.14 pct

The drugmaker said the U.S Food and Drug Administration granted an orphan drug status to its experimental compound used to treat multiple myeloma - a bone marrow cancer.

A Barron's report said the tire maker could benefit from rising auto production in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa. It also said Goodyear would also likely benefit from a strengthening auto market in Asia. (r.reuters.com/nym22w)

** KARYOPHARM THERAPEUTICS INC, $43.13, -8.47 pct

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked the company to conduct a large study to test the effectiveness of its experimental drug for a type of cancer in dogs.

** STAR BULK CARRIERS CORP, $12.48, +3.40 pct

The company said it would buy fellow dry bulk carriers Oceanbulk Shipping LLC and Oceanbulk Carriers LLC in an all-stock deal that will make Oaktree Capital Management its largest shareholder. Star Bulk Carriers is issuing 54.104 million new shares to buy the Oceanbulk companies, valuing the deal at about $653 million based on Star Bulk Carrier’s Friday close of $12.07 on the New York Stock Exchange.

** ZYNGA INC, $3.09, -0.32 pct

The social gaming company said on Friday it was not in compliance with Nasdaq listing rules after two independent directors stepped down from the company’s board on June 11. Nasdaq requires that the board of a company must have a majority of independent directors.

** NEWCASTLE INVESTMENT CORP, $5.01, +2.45 pct

The real estate investment trust (REIT) said it will spin off its senior housing business. New Senior Investment Group Inc will be a publicly traded real estate investment trust that primarily targets senior housing-related investments.

** ISIS PHARMA INC, $34.501, +2.59 pct

Company says a mid-stage trial showed its experimental diabetes drug, when used in combination with metformin, reduced patients’ blood sugar levels.

** AASTROM BIOSCIENCES INC, $4.2, -0.24 pct

The biotechnology company said it was selling a plant in Denmark that manufactures knee cartilage drug, Maci. Aastrom will also cut 80 full-time positions to reduce costs, including a $9 million cut in research and development expenses.

** ARROWHEAD RESEARCH CORP, $12.73, +3.24 pct

The drug developer said it has access to intellectual property needed to develop ARC-520, its experimental hepatitis B drug.

** TRINA SOLAR LTD, $12.08, +2.29 pct

The solar company said it was selected to supply 23 megawatt of photovoltaic modules for Linuo Solar Power Co’s project in China’s Shandong province. It expects to complete shipments by June end. The project is expected to produce 2,990 killowatt hour electricity annually and reduce 28,674 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. (Compiled by Mridhula Raghavan; Edited by Don Sebastian)